Dioxins are a class of industrial pollutants spewed
into the atmosphere that "accumulates in the fatty tissues of humans and
food animals consumed by humans. It is generally believed that the most
significant exposure to DLCs [dioxin-like compounds such as PCBs] by humans
is from the dietary intake of animal and fish products."

Of all the cancers, egg consumption was most tightly
correlated with breast cancer risk. Those eating more than a half an egg a
day were found to have nearly 3 times the odds of breast cancer compared to
those that stayed away from eggs entirely.

Every five years, the U.S. government measures the amount of toxic waste
in our food supply. Dioxins are a class of industrial pollutants spewed into
the atmosphere that "accumulates in the fatty tissues of humans and food
animals consumed by humans. It is generally believed that the most
significant exposure to DLCs [dioxin-like compounds such as PCBs] by humans
is from the dietary intake of animal and fish products." But which animal
products pose the greatest risk?

According to recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency, second
only to fish in terms of PCB levels: eggs. This may help explain the
findings of a recent study that found that egg consumption "was associated
with in increased odds of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus,
upper aerodigestive tract (includes oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus,
larynx), colon and colon and rectum combined, lung, breast, prostate,
bladder, and all cancers combined."

Of all the cancers, egg consumption was most tightly correlated with
breast cancer risk. Those eating more than a half an egg a day were found to
have nearly 3 times the odds of breast cancer compared to those that stayed
away from eggs entirely.

The industrial toxins found in animal products don't just contribute to
cancer risk. According to a recent commentary in the journal Reproductive
Toxicology, "increasing evidence suggests that maternal exposure to toxic
chemical compounds may be associated with various congenital [birth]
defects, pediatric problems, skewed gender ratios, lethal cancers in
children and teens, psychosexual challenges, as well as reproductive and
endocrine [hormonal] dysfunction in later life." The author concludes: "I
anticipate that future generations of scientists will look back with
disbelief at a medical culture that permitted poisoning of reproductive aged
women and ignored ramifications to unborn children."

What if one chooses not to eat meat, fish, dairy, or eggs, though? A
study entitled "Impact of Adopting a Vegan Diet...on Plasma Organochlorine
Concentrations" was recently published by an international team of
scientists. Organochlorines "are chemical products that were widely used
after World War II as insecticides and in industry. In the 1960s, their
adverse effects for the environment and human health began to be known, and
in the 1970s their use was banned in most industrialized countries
[including the United States]. However, because they are so resistant to
degradation...[they] continue to be present in most food chains
worldwide....Being at the top of the food chain, man is contaminated via
food, in infancy from breast milk and later from animal products such as
fish, meat and dairy products."

The investigators note that studies have shown that organochlorine
concentrations in the breast milk and fat tissue of vegetarians is lower
than in omnivores, but no studies of "real vegans" had been undertaken.
Until now. Testing a wide range of carcinogenic industrial toxins and
pesticides, the researchers "found that vegans, were significantly less
polluted, then omnivores...."

What surprised the research team was that vegans had as much toxic
exposure as they did. The scientists offered a number of explanations. For
example, the vegans "may have been breast-fed as infants, and might thus
have been exposed to OC accumulated by the mother, and which are transferred
to her baby at the time of lactation. Moreover, becoming vegetarian or vegan
is often a decision made in adulthood." That was another problem they noted:
most vegans aren't vegan from birth. "Thus, the omnivore diet followed
during childhood and adolescence results in a contamination by OC that is
still detectable in adults....In addition, vegans may, on rare occasions,
depart from their diet and eat some animal products."

To decrease our exposure to industrial toxins in our increasingly
polluted world, we need to eat as low as possible on the food chain as soon
as possible: a plant-based diet.

All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer

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encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe
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has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we
have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own
body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.

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